The CAT 2026 cut off is the minimum overall and sectional percentile each IIM sets before it shortlists candidates; there is no common cut off. For General and EWS candidates, IIM Ahmedabad asks for 95 percentile overall and 85 in each section, and IIM Calcutta for 85 overall. CAT 2026 is on 29 November 2026.
CAT Cut Off 2026
Official minimum CAT percentiles of the top IIMs for CAT 2026 and CAT 2025, by category, and how many candidates clear them.
How to Check the CAT 2026 Cut Off
Each IIM publishes its own cut off in its admission policy, not on the CAT website.
- Open the admissions page of the IIM you are interested in and download its admission policy for the batch starting in 2027.
- Find the table of minimum CAT percentiles for the first shortlisting stage.
- Read the overall percentile and the sectional percentiles (VARC, DILR and QA) for your category.
- After the CAT 2026 result, check that your percentiles meet every figure, not just the overall one.
- Then read the composite score rules, because clearing the minimum only puts you in the pool for the next stage.
Which IIMs have announced CAT 2026 cut offs?
By 8 October 2026, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta had published minimum CAT 2026 percentiles for their 2027-29 batches. IIM Calcutta also requires a non-negative raw score in every section.
| Category | IIM Ahmedabad: overall / each section | IIM Calcutta: overall / VARC / DILR / QA |
|---|---|---|
| General (Open) | 95 / 85 | 85 / 80 / 80 / 75 |
| EWS | 95 / 85 | 75 / 70 / 65 / 65 |
| NC-OBC | 90 / 80 | 75 / 70 / 65 / 65 |
| SC | 85 / 75 | 70 / 65 / 60 / 60 |
| ST | 75 / 65 | 65 / 55 / 55 / 55 |
| PwD | 85 / 75 (General, EWS PwD) | 55 / 45 / 45 / 45 |
Sources: IIM Ahmedabad, Admission Policy for PGP 2027-29 Batch, Table 4 (official); IIM Calcutta, Admission Policy for the MBA Programme (Batch 2027-29), Table 1 (official). IIM Calcutta notes that its actual cut offs may be much higher than these minimums.
What were the IIM cut offs for CAT 2025?
Most other IIMs have not yet released CAT 2026 figures, so their CAT 2025 minimums (for the 2026-28 batch) are the best guide. These are for General category candidates:
| IIM | Overall | VARC | DILR | QA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 95 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| IIM Bangalore | 85 | 80 | 75 | 75 |
| IIM Lucknow (MBA) | 90 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| IIM Indore (PGP) | 90 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 85 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| IIM Mumbai (MBA) | 85 | 80 | 80 | 75 |
Sources: each IIM’s official 2026-28 admission policy or shortlisting criteria (IIM Ahmedabad shortlisting criteria of 9 January 2026; IIM Bangalore PGP 2026-28 admission procedure, Annexure I; IIM Lucknow admission policy 2026-28; IIM Indore PGP 2026-28 admission procedure; IIM Kozhikode PGP admissions policy 2026-28, which gives one figure for every section; IIM Mumbai MBA admission policy 2026-28).
What are the category-wise CAT cut offs?
Reserved categories get lower minimums. These are the CAT 2025 overall percentiles by category at four IIMs:
| Category | IIM Bangalore | IIM Lucknow (MBA) | IIM Indore (PGP) | IIM Kozhikode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 85 | 90 | 90 | 85 |
| EWS | 75 | 82 | 90 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 75 | 82 | 80 | 75 |
| SC | 70 | 65 | 60 | 65 |
| ST | 65 | 60 | 45 | 55 |
| PwD | 60 | 60 | 45 | 55 |
Source: the same official 2026-28 IIM admission policies (CAT 2025). Each IIM also sets category-wise sectional minimums, given in its policy.
How has the IIM Ahmedabad cut off changed?
IIM Ahmedabad raised its minimums sharply for CAT 2025 and kept them for CAT 2026.
| Exam (IIMA batch) | General/EWS overall | General/EWS each section | Candidates who cleared the minimums |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 (PGP 2025-27) | 80 | 70 | 33,630 |
| CAT 2025 (PGP 2026-28) | 95 | 85 | 8,838 |
| CAT 2026 (PGP 2027-29) | 95 | 85 | After the CAT 2026 result |
Source: IIM Ahmedabad shortlisting criteria for the 2025-27 and 2026-28 batches and the 2027-29 admission policy (official). From the 8,838 who cleared the CAT 2025 minimums, IIMA called 1,308 candidates for its writing test and interview.
Why is the real shortlist cut off higher than the minimum?
The minimum percentile only gets you into an IIM’s pool; the interview call depends on a composite score.
- Composite scores combine the CAT score with your academic record and, at many IIMs, work experience and diversity factors.
- IIM Bangalore says the CAT 2025 scores of candidates called for interviews were higher than its published minimums.
- IIM Indore’s RTI data for its 2026-28 batch shows 17,687 candidates cleared its first stage and 5,054 were shortlisted for the PGP interview.
- Seats, applications and category rules differ by IIM, so the same percentile can get a call from one IIM and not another.
Your percentiles come with the CAT 2026 result, likely by the first week of January 2027.